Software Utilities (1984)

The Computer Chronicles - Software Utilities (1984)


Archival Ref: M0974_B2_Utilities
Original Air Date: July 2, 1984


In this classic Season 1 episode, Stewart Cheifet and guest host Herb Lechner (sitting in for Gary Kildall) dive into the world of "Software Utilities"—the essential tools that bridge the gap between the operating system and application software. From data recovery to programming shortcuts, this episode showcases the programs that made early personal computing faster, safer, and more customizable.


In this episode, you’ll see:


The Birth of Data Recovery: A young Peter Norton demonstrates the "UnErase" feature of the Norton Utilities, showing how to rescue deleted files directly from the disk sectors.
Turbo Pascal Revolution: Philippe Kahn, founder of Borland International, demonstrates the lightning-fast Turbo Pascal compiler and its innovative instant error-tracking system.
Keyboard Macros: David Rose of Rosoft shows off ProKey, a utility that allowed users to customize their keyboards and automate repetitive tasks—a precursor to modern productivity macros.
Visual Debugging: Joanne Kell from Micro Focus demonstrates Animator, a sophisticated visual tool for debugging COBOL programs on a personal computer.
Disk Management: A look at early disk-viewing utilities like Disc Look that allowed users to see exactly what was happening "under the hood" of their floppy drives.

Featured Guests:


Peter Norton: President of Norton Utilities.
Philippe Kahn: President of Borland International.
Joanne Kell: Micro Focus.
David Rose: Rosoft.

About The Computer Chronicles:
Hosted by Stewart Cheifet, The Computer Chronicles provided a front-row seat to the PC revolution from 1983 to 2002. This episode is part of the M0974 collection preserved at Stanford University, documenting the foundational software that defined the early 80s tech landscape.


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